LIVINGSTON — Ennis’ Landri Paladichuk is no stranger to winning.
As a freshman, she quickly rose through the golf rankings in State C and won the title her sophomore year. She was the favorite to repeat in 2020 but never got a chance to play.
“We had only had like a week of practices, and I was like this is going to be my year, and it was hard when they finally canceled it because it didn’t give me a chance to really defend that title, but I’m really glad we’re able to have a season this year, which is definitely the most important," Mustangs senior golfer Landri Paladichuk said.
Fueled by last year’s lost season, Paladichuk was more than ready to hit the course this spring; but no thanks to bad weather, the Mustangs have had their fair share of canceled meets.
“It’s hard to come in and not have as many meets as other schools, which you can’t really control sometimes, but I’ve just been really trying to focus on little things here and there," Paladichuk explained.
It helps that Landri learned at a young age that golf is a mental game, which is why she’s keeping her eyes set towards state and sinking in every opportunity.
“Having this season has just really made me really appreciate the game, and so I take advantage of it because that’s all you can do," Paladichuk added.
With state only a week away, Landri is focusing on chipping away at the details, making sure she’s ready for any hazards that are in her way.
“I definitely just need to manage the course better, so taking the smart shots instead of maybe risking it to where you get a couple of stroke penalties, and then also work on my tee shots and then my short game," Paladichuk said.
While her high school career may be coming to an end, the road doesn’t stop there.
“I knew when I coached her as a sophomore that she’d be playing in college golf somewhere, and for her to find the home her brother was able to play at Rocky Mountain College in Billings - I’m super excited for her," Mustangs head golf coach Jordan Overstreet smiled.
“I’ve always really liked Rocky and just the campus, but just taking advantage of this year and just trying to improve is my main goal for the next four years as well," Paladichuk added.
Landri’s quest for another state championship begins May 18th at Riverside Country Club in Bozeman.
